What was a significant characteristic of the Atlantic economy?

The Atlantic economy was fundamentally characterized by its heavy reliance on transatlantic trade and enslaved labor. This economic system emerged prominently during the period of European colonization and the establishment of plantation economies in the Americas.

The transatlantic trade routes connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas, facilitating the exchange of goods such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton from the New World, while Europe exported manufactured goods. Central to this economy was the enslavement of African peoples, who were forcibly transported across the Atlantic to work in often brutal conditions on plantations. This labor system was vital for the profitability of such agricultural enterprises and significantly shaped economic and social dynamics across the Atlantic world.

This reliance on transatlantic interactions and the exploitation of enslaved individuals created a complex network that solidified the economic status of European powers and played a crucial role in the development of modern economies.